Press Releases

The Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced today that it will work with Evident Technologies of Troy, N.Y., to develop and demonstrate new, efficient white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for use in general illumination.

Funding for the project comes from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). LED technology will lead to significant energy cost savings and environmental benefits as solid-state lighting begins to replace incandescent and other low-efficiency lighting sources in residential and commercial buildings.

Dr. Nadarajah Narendran, Director of Research at the Lighting Research Center, said the LRC is committed to developing novel solid-state lighting systems that provide good color and higher efficiency than traditional light sources. “As we improve system efficiency, we will help to ensure their acceptance in the marketplace,” said Dr. Narendran. Market acceptance of new, efficient technologies is key to reducing energy consumption.

Evident Technologies will produce quantum dot nanomaterials, a new semiconductor particle that has tunable color properties. Quantum dot-based lights will be more efficient than halogen or incandescent lights. Dr. Clinton T. Ballinger, CEO of Evident Technologies, said quantum dot nanomaterials enable the production of white-light LED-based lighting systems that will produce light with better color qualities than current white-light LEDs, so they will be appealing enough to use in the home or office.

According to Dr. Narendran, quantum dots offer the potential for creating continuous spectra white light. The colors of objects illuminated by continuous spectra light sources appear truer than those illuminated by current white LED light sources.

NYSERDA President Peter Smith said he hopes the authority’s investment in the project will accelerate the replacement of inefficient incandescent and halogen lights in New York State. This, he says, will save residents money on energy bills while protecting the environment by reducing greenhouse gases from fossil-fuel electricity generation in New York State.

About the LRC

The LRC is part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is the leading university-based research center devoted to lighting. Through Rensselaer, the LRC offers the world's only M.S. degree in lighting and other master’s and doctoral degrees with concentrations in lighting. Since 1988 the LRC has built an international reputation as a reliable source for objective information about lighting technologies, applications, and products. It also provides training programs for government agencies, utilities, contractors, lighting designers, and other lighting professionals.

The LRC's Solid-State Lighting Program conducts research and educational programs to enhance this technology and help it gain acceptance for general illumination purposes. The LRC's multidisciplinary team researches how lighting systems interact; how people perceive and react to lighting conditions; and how to use LEDs to replace less efficient lighting. The ASSIST Program, a collaborative effort by researchers, manufacturers, utilities, and government, works to facilitate broad adoption of LED technology.

Visit the LRC web site at www.lrc.rpi.edu or the Rensselaer web site at www.rpi.edu.

About Evident Technologies:

Evident Technologies is the premier commercial source for nanocrystals, otherwise known as quantum dots. These quantum dots are high-precision nanoscale semiconductors that are engineered to meet the needs for new nanomaterials in biotechnology, optical transistors, optical switches, optical computing, photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes (LED), lasers or many other nano-applications. Evident Technologies provides unprecedented freedom to engineer optical, electronic properties for application needs.

About NYSERDA:

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is a public benefit corporation created in 1975 by the New York State Legislature. NYSERDA has successfully developed and brought into use more than 140 innovative, energy-efficient, and environmentally beneficial products, processes, and services. NYSERDA also administers the New York Energy $martSM program, which assists the state’s businesses and consumers in implementing energy-efficiency measures.